06.05.

1915: Orson Welles Born

The American director, actor, screenwriter and producer Orson Welles was born in Kenosha, Wisconsin on this day in 1915. Kenosha is a city located on the shore of Lake Michigan, about 50 miles north of Chicago.

Orson originated form a wealthy Catholic family, but he lost his parents when he was a child – his mother died when he was nine years old, and his father when he was at the age of 15. After his father`s death, the young Orson inherited a lot of money and could travel around Europe. He got a job as an actor in Ireland. Allegedly, he claimed he had been a Broadway actor, which was his first acting role. Orson began to write screenplays, and developed his career in show-business.

Welles is perhaps most famous for his radio drama “The War of the Worlds”, and his film “Citizen Kane”. “The War of the Worlds” is a radio adaptation of the novel by H. G. Wells (their last names are similar, but Orson has one more letter “e”). The film Citizen Kane won the Oscar for “Best Original Screenplay”, and many critics still consider it the best film of all time. Interestingly, Orson Welles was the leading actor, director and screenwriter and producer of “Citizen Kane”.